An inquiry is being held into the greyhound racing industry. The email sent to greyhound racing stewards. Photo: Supplied

Greyhound racing stewards were told to “desist” from providing too much detailed information about injuries and deaths of the dogs, because the industry was being plagued by “pretty bad publicity”, the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry has been told.

In an email from the chief steward of Greyhound Racing NSW Clint Bentley to all the NSW stewards in April 2013, Mr Bentley said “it has been discussed at a recent management meeting and decided that it is in the best interests of all that we desist from providing too detailed information in our Stewards Reports with regard to injuries sustained by greyhounds”.

The email was read out to the hearing by the inquiry’s commissioner, Michael McHugh QC, while former GRNSW chief executive officer Brent Hogan was giving evidence.

The email went on to say that “in order to do this we suggest that you no longer report injuries such as fractures or breaks but rather just as injured: ie if a greyhound was to sustain a fractured hock we would report it as an injured hock …”

Commissioner McHugh had been questioning Mr Hogan about whether there was a deliberate policy to mislead the public about the number or nature of injuries and deaths of the dogs.

Mr Hogan told the hearing there were many different reasons considered for the way the injuries were reported, including for consistency and simplifying reporting.

But Commissioner McHugh told Mr Hogan: “I don’t find your explanations very convincing. It appears to me there was a deliberate policy to euphemistically describe injuries so it would not excite the interests of animal welfare groups.”

The greyhound inquiry was set up in the wake of last year’s live-baiting scandal. Mr Hogan and the board of GRNSW stepped down from their positions last year.

The special commission resumed this week to hear evidence about greyhound injuries, general welfare and governance.

The hearing was told on Wednesday the discussions about the reporting of dogs’ injuries and deaths was triggered by an event at Dapto race track in April 2013, in which one dog broke its back and had to be put down and another broke its neck and died. The deaths were reported the local newspaper.

Mr Hogan agreed with the suggestion that the incident had generated “very negative publicity”.

Mr Hogan had earlier told the hearing that injury reporting was not an issue he had given a lot of consideration. He also said there was no requirement to publicly report the injuries. “I think I had a concern that, in the absence of context, that raw data could be open to various interpretations.”

He said he did not recall taking steps to “conceal the data”.

There was evidence given of other emails from GRNSW officials commenting that euthanasia of the dogs would also no longer be reported.

Mr Hogan agreed he was of the view that it was not the type of publicity required.

The commissioner also heard that one staff member had sounded a warning about the reporting, saying that they would be “burying ourselves further” and making it a bigger issue than it already was.

It was put to Mr Hogan that the minimised reporting was being done to mislead the public. Mr Hogan said “on reflection, I can see how that conclusion could be reached.”

Mr Bentley also gave evidence and admitted to the commission that the practise of the misleading reporting of injuries had continued up until November last year, even after new management had been brought in.

He said it was common knowledge in the organisation that the misleading stewards reports were continuing but it “never occured” to him bring it up with the new interim chief executive officer.